What Minnesota Life Was Like The Last Time It Snowed This Much In April

While there probably aren't very many people happy about yet another winter storm set to dump more snow on us, it does mean we'll likely set a record for the Snowiest April in Rochester History. So what was going on the last time April was this snowy?

You have to go back 36 years to April of 1982 to find another spring that was this snowy. Rochester set a record back then for getting just over 16 inches of snow. Seeing as the forecast calls more snow again today, we could very well set a new record.

Back in 1982, things were just a wee bit different than they are today. There was no Internet, no cellphones, no email, no DVR and no binge-watching-- something we love to do on a snowy Minnesota day (even in April).  Back then, even VCR's were still pretty expensive, so you pretty much had to watch what the networks were showing, WHEN it was on-- like cavemen.

Prices in 1982 seemed cheaper, but when you adjust them for inflation over 36 years, that's really not the case.  According to the consumer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.70% per year in 1982. Meaning, prices in 2018 are just over 153% higher than prices in 1982.

In other words, $100 in the year 1982 is equivalent in purchasing power to $253.66 today. But prices sure SEEM cheaper, looking back.  According to THIS website, the average US worker in 1982 made just over $21,000 a year. The average cost of an existing home was $67,800. If you were renting, you spent about $320 a month. And, a gallon of gas cost a whopping $.91.

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' would go on to be the top pop album, though it wasn't released until November of that year. In April, the top song on the Billboard Top 40 Chart was I Love Rock 'n' Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. On the Billboard Country Chart, Bobbi Sue by the Oak Ridge Boys had the number-one spot.

Listen to Curt St. John from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5 
and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 103.9 The Doc